


It's About Time

by DaisyFairy



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: But it's all a bit wooly, Happy Ending, M/M, Past Character Death, Sussex, Well Sherlock thinks so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-20 18:56:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13723932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyFairy/pseuds/DaisyFairy
Summary: John died three years ago and Sherlock is now living in Sussex. Greg visits and discovers Sherlock has a new project.





	It's About Time

**Author's Note:**

> The title for this fic was chosen through a 'Daisy Doesn't Do Titles' competition. Many thanks to zigostia who suggested the title 'It's About Time'. They win a fabulous imaginary trophy of their own design :-)

Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade drives down a small lane in Sussex bordered by high hedgerows, and a few minutes later arrives at a small cottage. He pulls into the drive and turns off the engine, then just sits for a moment to gather his strength.

It has been too long since he last visited, several months. He has been busy, cases and family stuff, but really these are excuses. Sherlock has lived here, well, existed here at least, for the last three years, ever since John Watson was killed by a stray bullet in a robbery. The visits are excruciating, Sherlock seems to be just waiting for death, barely speaking, only doing the absolute basics for survival. Greg knows that if Mycroft hasn’t arranged gardeners and cleaners the house would look more like a squat than the beautiful cottage it had been when Sherlock moved in.

Taking a deep breath he steps out of the car and walks up the garden path to ring the doorbell.

Normally he has to ring several times and wait for at least five minutes before a dishevelled and unwashed Sherlock comes and opens the door and then stalks back to his chair without a word, leaving Greg to follow in his wake and make tea for the two of them to share.

Greg is incredibly surprised however that on this occasion the door opens only seconds later. Sherlock is dressed in a clean suit, his hair is styled and his skin is healthy. He enthusiastically greets the DI and ushers him into the lounge, then flits around fetching tea and even brings scones with jam and cream.

Greg worries briefly that Sherlock may have fallen back into bad habits, but his pupils are not dilated, he seems perfectly coherent, and he honestly seems healthier than Greg has seen him for years.

Sherlock further surprises him by initiating conversation, “It’s good to see you, how are things in London nowadays?”

“Um, good, busy, you know how it is, but good I suppose.”

“Good, that’s good. I might come for a visit soon, maybe move back completely once I’ve finished my new project.”

Greg’s eyes widen in shock, “Oh. You have a project? I’m really glad, you seem....well, you seem much better.”

Sherlock eagerly replies, “Yes. I will be, when I’ve finished everything will be better.”

Greg is really curious now, “What is it?”

Sherlock smiles, pure happiness radiates from him. “I’m building a time machine, I’ll go back to the night John died and stop it from happening.”

All of Greg’s new found hope for Sherlock’s well being vanishes instantly. The man had clearly lost his mind. “A time machine?”

“Yes. I decided I had done enough moping, I had to do something about my problem. It’s really quite simple when you put your mind to it.”

“You think you’re making a time machine.”

“Yes. It’s out there.” Sherlock gestures outside through the glass French doors to the shed in the garden. “I’m getting close to a breakthrough, it won’t be long now.”

Greg knows he has to proceed carefully, flat out denial of what Sherlock is doing will probably just get him thrown out. “What makes you think you have nearly cracked it? Loads of people have tried to invent time machines.”

“He keeps trying to stop me, I must be close or he wouldn’t bother.”

“He?”

“Me, from the future. He keeps trying to sabotage my invention, but I know he doesn’t really want me to stop.”

‘Damn, he’s completely lost it,’ Greg thinks, ‘I’m going to have to call Mycroft about this.’

Deciding to play along for now Greg gently asks, “What makes you think he doesn’t want you to stop?”

“If he really wanted me to stop, he never would have brought John with him.”

“You’ve seen John too?”

“Yes, it’s wonderful. I would know that showing me John, showing me that this is going to work, would never get me to stop. My theory is that Mycroft is forcing future me to try to stop past me from building the machine.”

“Right. Well, maybe I should be going now, I have some phone calls to make.” Greg eases himself out of his chair and takes a step towards the door.

“No, wait! Here they are now, look.”

Greg turns to look out of the window and has to grab the back of a chair to stop from collapsing. Disappearing into the shed he sees the back of two men that he would know anywhere. One tall with dark curly hair, the other a little shorter and broader with blond-grey hair. Sherlock and “John!”

“Isn’t it amazing?” Sherlock beams at him.

“That’s John!” Greg exclaims again pointing out of the window.

“Yes.”

Greg tries the handle to the garden, but the door is locked, he looks at Sherlock helplessly, “We should... shouldn’t we go and see him?”

“No, there’s no need, we’ll have John back properly soon enough.”

“But, what are they doing?”

“Don’t worry about that. They’re probably just stealing some of the parts of my machine again. Its fine though, I'll bring them back later without John, I have all the other times.”

Greg slumps down into an armchair, still staring out of the window. The shed briefly lights up from within with a flash of blue light, and then all is still.”

“That’s it, they’re gone.”

Greg just stares outside for a few more minutes, trying to let this all slot into place in his mind. Sherlock just sits patiently in his own chair waiting.

When Greg finally turns his head to look at Sherlock he finds him looking totally serene. Sherlock calmly declares, “Whatever the consequences, it’ll be worth it if I get John back.”

Greg sits stunned at the revelations that are turning his whole world upside down, and thinks back to all of the films he’s seen about time travel. About paradoxes, and tearing the fabric of time and space, of monsters coming through rips in reality and apocalyptical endings. Then lifts his eyes to contemplate Sherlock with horror and wonders exactly how badly he would have to damage the universe before he decided that John Watson wasn’t worth it.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt on [Tumblr](https://daisyfairy1.tumblr.com/post/171141964620/fantastic-queenie-writing-prompt-s-i-know-im)
> 
> "I know I’m getting close to finishing my time machine because I’ve caught several older versions of myself attempting to sabotage my lab"


End file.
